The BBC is banned by Israel from reporting in Gaza but, in our conversations, doctors and journalists in the territory tell us how shortages of food, water and medical supplies are affecting them and their families.

The third threshold, mortality from starvation and related causes, remains unverified. This is not because people are not dying. This is because the conditions on the ground—lack of humanitarian access,

T he announcement was an admission of failure. On July 26th the Israel Defence Forces ( IDF) said that it would parachute food into Gaza and implement daily “humanitarian pauses” in parts of the still depopulated areas of the devastated strip, allowing international aid organisations to bring in convoys.

Aug. 1, 2025